House to begin discussion after new Cabinet is formed

KATHMANDU: Speaker Onsari Gharti on Sunday held consultations with the chief whips of three major parties in the Parliament on the Proposal of Public Importance on Prof Dr Govinda KC’s demands.

The three lawmakers — Nepali Congress’s Gagan Kumar Thapa and Dhanaraj Gurung and CPN Maoist Centre’s Shyam Shrestha — who brought in the proposal seeking parliamentary debate on Dr KC’s demands were also present on the occasion.

“We all unanimously agreed to present the proposal before the House for discussion,” Shrestha told THT Online, “It’s clean and clear now.”

But since the incumbent government is currently bearing caretaker role only, the proposal would be presented after the new government is formed as Education and Health ministers also need to answer before the House.

On July 21, Nepali Congress lawmaker Gagan Thapa, with Dhanaraj Gurung of Nepali Congress and Shyam Shrestha of CPN Maoist Centre as seconders, had registered the proposal at the Parliament Secretariat, seeking discussion on Dr KC’s demands. Also, Thapa had drawn attention of the Parliament’s Good Governance and Monitoring Committee towards the matter.

The Good Governance and Monitoring Committee is dealing with the matter now, Shrestha added,”The government at present is temporary. The proposal will be presented for discussion in the House after the new Cabinet is formed and the Education and Health ministers are chosen.”

The lawmakers have sought discussion on the demands of Dr KC, who had staged hunger strike demanding reforms in Nepal’s medical education and action against the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) officials who allegedly abused their authorities while interfering into medical schools.

The agreement had observed that there was no need to touch Dr KC’s demand on impeachment motion against CIAA Chief Lokman Singh Karki and CIAA commissioner Raj Narayan Pathak as the matter was under the jurisprudence of the Parliament and it had already made it to the Parliament [through the proposal of public importance].

Apropos to Dr KC’s allegation against the CIAA officials and demand to impeach them, the proposal argued that the Parliament is the only authority to carry out an independent probe into the allegation.

“After the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, the constitutional body to control corruption, itself is accused of abusing its rights to promote corruption in the medical education sector,”Gagan Thapa, who is the proposer, said, “The supreme body of people’s representatives should not and cannot stay silent.”

“I have filed this proposal of public importance as it is imperative to seek necessary solutions after holding discussions in the respectable House,” Thapa reasoned, “As it is necessary to take immediate initiatives for protection of his life after addressing sensitive issues of public interest raised by Dr KC.”

When summoned by the Parliament’s Good Governance and Monitoring Committee, the CIAA chief on July 26 escaped the House committee meeting citing health reasons.